In fact, a lot of people have seen it. More than 100,000 on YouTube. It prompted Mark Davis of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to seek Bridges out for a story, which began:

The trophies are impossible to ignore. At least 37 fill the living room of the south Atlanta apartment Deonte Bridges shares with his mother. Thirty-six extol the teenager’s academic achievements at Booker T. Washington High School.

The 37th trophy? Bridges, 18, smiled. “Basketball,” he said. Turns out he played the sport in ninth grade but gave it up. The game got in the way of more important things.

Now the youngster is preparing to begin his collegiate career at the University of Georgia. After sifting through more than $1 million in offered scholarships, he accepted the opportunity to be a Gates Millennium Scholar, which will completely pay for his studies, both undergraduate and graduate.

Here’s his speech:

BDU is holding its first graduation, as 79 students will walk as education pioneers. This is the first class of graduates through Vincennes early college network, which now extends to five schools, and it will be the largest group of graduates ever from an early college high school in the state of Indiana.

More to come as festivities get underway at 2 pm.

But now Patricia and I are heading back to school. Back to the dorms. For the first time in more than a quarter century.

No, it’s not some reality television show, even though it probably could be. Instead, we will be overseeing and providing support for X-Mester, an on-campus early college experience for 117 rising seniors from Indianapolis-area high schools.

It is a unique program where students, mostly first-generation collegians, will be earning college credit and participating in a wide array of extracurricular activities while receiving mentorship from the 13 Fellows we profiled here last week.

We will be writing about the program, the students and the university over at x-mester.com, but here we will be writing about returning to school… and the dorms.

Something we never dreamed of experiencing all over again.

I suppose like every other employer, I wasn’t looking for the ordinary or the mundane. Because creativity and innovation played a role in the position’s responsibility, I looked for candidates who embraced those attributes in their applications. My philosophy was, “Don’t tell me, show me.”

I personally liked those who took a chance in a cover letter, not simply reciting what was to come on the accompanying resume. As it pertained to the resume, I thoroughly enjoyed it when someone would direct me to a website for more information about them. That showed a level of industriousness. Throw a little video of clip of yourself on there, let me connect with you.

I liked a well designed, appealing resume that gave me facts I wanted. In short, I wanted the applicants to take full advantage of their opportunity to catch my eye and cause some intrigue.

Yet the majority of the materials were mind-numbingly traditional and safe. One color of ink, a recommended font, a safe cover letter and references to be furnished upon request (which always seemed like a pointless exercise in making a potential employer do added work for you).

So I took particular note to a recent Phyllis Korkki piece in the New York Times. Her point to young college graduates: Find the way to uniquely sell your skills. Example:

Take philosophy majors. There aren’t a lot of jobs for philosophers. But people use logic to formulate and weigh ideas and to reach conclusions, which can make training in philosophy very effective in the business world, Dr. Brooks said. Being able to spell that out concretely, with specific examples, could be crucial to being hired.

Exactly.

So as a nation of new graduates tries to infiltrate the work world in the coming months, they should be encouraged to embrace their potential, not fret over a lack of experience.

And, go ahead. Give the contact information of your references along with your application packet. Otherwise that call you have required of a future employer may never come.

The school grew to national prominence in the 1950s when basketball star Oscar Robertson led Attucks to state championships by reinventing the game, a up-tempo, improvisational style overseen by Coach Ray Crowe.

But the Indianapolis School District shut the school down in 1986 and reopened it a year later as a junior high school. In 2006 the school was reborn as a high school, a medical magnet, and its performance outpaced other schools in the city from the start.

Over the weekend Attucks had its first graduating class, and a diverse one, since 1986.

Elaina Blair was excited to watch her daughter, LaToyia Young (who is headed to Vincennes University, one of SBC’s deep partners), earn her degree from the same place she did in 1980. “I told her she would be starting history over again. She is the first class,” Blair told Melanie D. Hayes of the Indianapolis Star. “When I heard they were opening it up as a magnet program, I wanted her to come, especially because of me. We’d have another generation graduate from here.”

“Brittney is a mature, dedicated and caring person,” said Dartmouth basketball coach Chris Wielgus. “She is guided by a strong set of values and has a genuine concern for other people, which has been put into action through a commitment she has to community service. She has organized a campus-wide fundraiser for Haiti, acted as a big sister to youth in our community and conducted youth clinics. She is an excellent teacher with a knack for working with youths.”

X-Mester is a two-week, on-campus early college experience for students who have completed their junior year of high school. Designed to simulate the first year on a college campus, the high school students live in a dormitory at Vincennes University while taking accelerated coursework. The program integrates academic success, independent learning and leadership skills through rigor, extra-curricular experiences and residential life.

“[Irwin] demonstrates a maturity and a passion for learning rarely found in today’s college students,” said physics professor Edwin Meyer. “He has the intellectual skills, the determination and the maturity to conquer whatever he sets out to do.”

“Of the many capable and talented students, both among those I work with at Baldwin-Wallace College, I consider Bobby one of the finest,” said D. Marc West, Director of Student Life and Involvement. “It is the balance of Bobby’s natural presense and leadership qualities that will continue to contribute to his success.”

X-Mester is a two-week, on-campus early college experience for students who have completed their junior year of high school. Designed to simulate the first year on a college campus, the high school students live in a dormitory at Vincennes University while taking accelerated coursework. The program integrates academic success, independent learning and leadership skills through rigor, extra-curricular experiences and residential life.

“LaTasha is very goal oriented and self-motivated with an excellent background in leadership,” said Vincennes President Richard Helton. “She was very engaging and contributed to the governance of Vincennes University through her work as a member of the Board of Trustees.”

“LaTasha is a person of great honesty and integrity,” said John Livers, the VU Dean of Students. “I believe as her experiences and opportunities grow, she will grow with them, demonstrating the Vincennes University motto, ‘Learn in order to serve.’”

X-Mester is a two-week, on-campus early college experience for students who have completed their junior year of high school. Designed to simulate the first year on a college campus, the high school students live in a dormitory at Vincennes University while taking accelerated coursework. The program integrates academic success, independent learning and leadership skills through rigor, extra-curricular experiences and residential life.

“[Garnett] is extremely well spoken and a great communicator which allows him to be such a great leader,” said his academic advisor Jenna Sample. “Garnett will be attending graduate school … and getting his masters would not only allow Garnett to reach his goals, but would also encourage his former teammates to follow in his footsteps.”

“Despite the rigors of being a student-athlete, [Garnett] managed to keep a strong GPA and balance academics, athletics and his social life,” said EKU professor Dr. Wardell Johnson. “His above-average performance is a direct result of his hard work and strong focus.”

X-Mester is a two-week, on-campus early college experience for students who have completed their junior year of high school. Designed to simulate the first year on a college campus, the high school students live in a dormitory at Vincennes University while taking accelerated coursework. The program integrates academic success, independent learning and leadership skills through rigor, extra-curricular experiences and residential life.

“I have been struck with the maturity with which she has approached her ideas,” said Dr. Lisa Krissoff Boehm, chair of the Urban Studies program at the College. “We at Worcester State College are pleased to claim her as an alumna.”

“Tonia has a special ability to connect with others and communicate effectively,” said Judy Jeon Chapman, her French professor at Worcester. “Her intelligence, strength of character, common sense, good sense of humor and genuine concern for others earned her the trust and respect of her peers.”

X-Mester is a two-week, on-campus early college experience for students who have completed their junior year of high school. Designed to simulate the first year on a college campus, the high school students live in a dormitory at Vincennes University while taking accelerated coursework. The program integrates academic success, independent learning and leadership skills through rigor, extra-curricular experiences and residential life.